Apparatus for delivering elongated cylindrical articles



APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING ELONGATED CYLINDRI C AL ARTICLES Filed Aug. 14, 1945 2 SheetsSheet 1' u fiiwqzo 5 five-45406 ITTOA'NEY Sept. 17, 1946.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6542040 Ef/V64-26400/7 2v A TTORNE Y M. s. GETTIG ETAL 2,40, fi APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES Filed Apg. 14, 1945 a to their being removed from the Patented Sept. 17, 1946 APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES -Martin S. Gettig, Poland, baugh, Youngstown, 0 Youngstown Sheet and town, Ohio, a corporati and Harold E. Engelhi0, assignors to The Tube Company, Youngson of Ohio Application August 14, 1945, Serial No. 610,802

7 Claims. 1

Our invention relates to mechanism for consecutively delivering elongated cylindrical articles such as pipes, tubes and the like to a conveyor, table or the like and is particularly directed to mechanism of that character adapted to deliver the articles from a heterogeneous bundle thereof disposed on a suitable support.

During the manufacture and handling of such articles it frequently is necessary or desirable to deliver them one at a time from one point to another as, for example, from skids on which they are supported to a conveyor adapted to move them in a predetermined direction but the various types of delivery or kickout mechanisms as they are frequently called, hitherto available for this purpose are in general only adapted to deliver the articles consecutively from the skids when they are disposed thereon in a single layer. Henc as it is usual to deposit them to the skids bundles, as from an overhead crane, the services of an operative are required to thereafter flatten out the bundles so as to bring the axes of all the articles into a plane parallel with the surface of the skids preparatory latter.

It vention to provide novel apparatus adapted to selectively deliver elongated cylindrical articles, more particularly pipes, tubes and the like, from a heterogeneous bundle thereof deposited on is therefore a principal object of our inskids or other suitable supporting means proxi mate the apparatus without the necessity of first arranging them in a single layer upon the skids.

A further object is the provision of apparatus of the character aforesaid which isof relatively simple design and construction and suitable for convenient installation in pipe, tube and other mills in which articles of the type whichit is designed to deliver are customarily produced and/or handled and which may be op rated either independently or in suitably coordinated relation with other apparatus associated therewith.

Other objects, purposes and advantages of our invention will hereinafter more fully appear or I be understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, this application being a continuation-in-part of our application for United States Letters Patent Serial No.

508,928, filed November 4, 1943. 7

While the mechanism of our invention is adapted for delivering many kinds of cylindrical articles it ,is of especial utility for handling pipes and tubes and for convenience of description,

but not in a restrictive or limited sense, we will therefore herein generically refer to said articles as pipes.

Despite the exercise of optimum care in manufacture, commercial pipe exhibits variation in wall thickness and straightness with the result that the location of the center of mass in each of a given lot of pipe is not always the same and consequently when they are resting in a bundle comprising a plurality of tiers some of them frequently tend to roll in one direction and some in another if the bundle is disturbed; our apparatus is therefore so designed as to satisfactorily perform its intended function irrespective of varia tions in the straightness or wall thickness of the pipes within the commercial tolerances allowable in those respects.

In the accompanyin drawings in which is illustrated one embodiment of the apparatus,

Fig. 1 is an end or side elevation thereof with a bundle of'pipe resting on the charging skids and the parts of the apparatus shown in full lines in the positions assumed preparatory to delivery of one of the pipes, the same parts being also shown in broken lines in the positions assumed after its delivery;

Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 a-re respectively fragmentary diagrammatic views progressively showing the various positions of th pipe lifter as a pipe is being delivered and the approximate positions of the pipes in the bundle corresponding to 'different positions of the lifter during its upward movement; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary somewhat diagrammatic top plan View of the apparatus on a much smaller scalethan the otherflgures.

Like characters of reference ar used to designate the same parts throughout the drawings.

As shown, the apparatus comprises an actuating unit such as a motor I, energizable through a manually or automatically actuated switch, driving through a suitable reduction gear 2 a crank 3iinterconnected by a pitman 4 with .another crank 5 fixed on a shaft 6 extending below and transversely of a series of laterally spaced charging skids S or other pipe supporting means which are inclined slightly downwardly in the direction in which the pipes are to be delivered by the apparatus to, for example, rolls R of a conveyor generally designated C adapted to move the pipes longitudinally as they are consecutively received by it. It will be understood, however, that delivery of the pipes may be made to a table or the like instead of to a conveyor in accordance with the treatment to which they are to be subjected after leaving the delivery apparatus.

Shaft 6 is journaled for oscillation in suitable pedestals I and two or more arms 8 are disposed along the shaft at appropriate intervals, each such arm being connected by a movable link 9 with a lifter l beveled downwardly and forwardly at its upper end It! and reciprocal in an; upwardly and rearwardly inclined guide H conveniently seated on the floor F of the mill which also supports the standards I2, l3 which, in turn, support in part the charging skids S and the similarly inclined delivery skids S which latter terminate proximate the conveyor 0 at their forward ends; as shown, the skids and standards are formed of pipe but of course they may equally well b formed of I-beams or the like. Each inclined guide H is rigidly braced by a vertical web ll and all the other various parts are preferably of rugged construction to withstand the heavy duty necessarily imposed upon them because of the weight of the pipes especially if of relatively large diameter and length.

vIt will of course be appreciated that the lifters act simultaneously on each pipe at spaced points throughout its length and that a sufficient number are provided to afford it appropriate support while it is being raised from skids S and discharged onto skids S; thus since all the lifters are alike a description of the arrangement and operation of one is equally applicable to the others.

Shaft 6, pedestals 1 and other mechanism associated therewith may conveniently be disposed, as shown, in a pit below the level of the mill floor and the motor and reduction gear located on the latter considerably to the right of standards I2 (Fig. 1) or at any other suitable location either above or below its level, the floor, in case the shaft is located below it, being provided with suitable slots respectively adapted for the passage of crank and lifters H] as well as for the outer ends of arms 8 when they move to the broken line position of Fig. 1 during reciprocation of the lifters. However. the specific relative location of the various parts to which reference has just been made is entirely a matter of choice and will usually be dictated by the layout of the mill, height of the charging skids above its floor and other like considerations;

Support for the forward end of each skid S is conveniently afforded by a standard [5 to wh ch the end of the skid is welded or otherwise firmly secured. the standard projecting above the skid for a d stance preferably approximating the diameter of the pipe the apparatus is designed to handle. while from the upper end of each standard is extended an upwardly and rearwardly inclined guide It which may be welded'to the standard and likewise to the rear end of the super acent delivery skid S to form a support therefor, the forward end of the skid being carried on a standard l1. However th guides may be made integral with their respective standards l5 if desired and. if preferred, the skids can be supported in any other way.

The arts of the standards above the charging skids thus form a stop to limit the movement of the leading pipe in the bottom tier of a bundle of pipes P as they'roll down the charging skids after being deposited thereon by an overhead crane or in any other way, the lifter ID of course being then in lower or retracted position in which the highest point on its upper end I0 is just below the level of skids S and crank 5 in full line position, and a bundle of twelve pipes will normally come to rest against the stop substantially in the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, that is, with five pipes in the lowest tier, four in the second 5 and three in the third. With the pipes in this position if the motor be suitably energized in a direction to cause crank 5 to move rearwardly, the resultant upward movement of the lifters is effective to raise the foremost pipe P in the lowest tier until it ultimately attains the approximate level of the adjacent ends of delivery skids S (Fig. 5) and starts rolling down them to finally pass to conveyor rolls R or other point of delivery. During substantially the first quarter of this upward movement of the lifters pipe P is correspondingly moved to about the level of the second tier of pipe, that tier substantially to the level of the third tier and the leading pipe in the latter to a still higher level approximately as shown in Fig. 2; as the ends of the lifters reach the level of the third tier the then leading pipe therein is forced by pipe P to a still higher level and the other pipe formerly at that level is forced upwardly and rearwardly (Fig. 3) and as the lifters continue to rise the now leading pipe in the fourth tier is still farther raised and crowded backward over the other pipe therein until it ultimately rolls down the rear side of the bundle (Fig. 4) and comes to rest on the charging skids behind the last pipe in the lower tier (Fig. 5). The lifters, having now reached their uppermost position and pipe P being started down the delivery skids, during the ensuing forward oscillation of crank 5 are retracted to initial position thus permitting the pipes to rearrange themselves in a somewhat different configuration with the leading pipe in the lower tier resting against the upper ends of standards l5 and thus in a position for delivery to the charging skids upon the next upward movement of the lifters.

Mention has been made of the fact that guides I5 are inclined rearwardly and consequently overhang the forward end of the considerable amount, and while the angle at which their rear faces are disposed is capable of considerable variation, it preferably approximates 30 to the vertical and so corresponds to the angle formed by a plane tangent to the side of a bundle 59 of pipe arranged in a series of tiers in each of which there is one less pipe than in the subjacent tier. Lifters ID are also rearwardly inclined at substantially the same angle as the guides so their paths of reciprocation are parallel 55 to the rear edges of the latter, suitable clearance being provided between the lifters and guides.

This rearward inclination of these parts is a very important feature of our invention for the reason that it negatives any tendency of any of the pipes in the upper tiers of the bundle to roll forwardly instead of rearwardly when they are forced upwardly by the pipe P resting on the ends of the ascending lifters even though their walls are heavier on one side than the other or the pipes are not exactly straight. It results it is impossible for any pipe other than that which is directly engaged by the ends of the lifters to be discharged onto the delivery skids since any, such pipe as P" (Fig. 4) which reaches the top of the bundle before pipe P is in condition for delivery to skids S can only roll rearwardly even though its center of mass is not coincident with its axis or the pipe is considerably curved from end to end. It follows that the rearward inclination of the guides must be sufficient to posithe leading pipe in charging skids by a tively accomplish this result at least within the tolerances permitted as to stra'ightness and irregular wall thickness and, as stated. we have found that an inclination approximating 30 is adequate for the purpose.

Moreover, while the apparatus is preferably so constructed that guides it are spaced somewhat from the pipes in the upper tiers of the bundle when the lifter is in retracted position, the forwardly and downwardly inclined surface it at the upper end of the lifter is effective while the lifter is ascending to maintain pine P in en gagement with the guides and prevent it from falling backward from the lifter irrespective of the number of tiers in the bundle so the delivery of the leading pipe in the lower tier is successfully accomplished irrespective of whether there is but a single tier of pipes on the charging skids or a plurality of tiers. Naturally as the pipes are consecutively delivered to skids S the specific arrangement of the remaining pipes in the bundle will alter until at last there may be only a single tier comprising a plurality of pipes and finally only one pipe in that tier but despite this, for the reasons just pointed out, the apparatus is as effective to deliver the last pipe from the bundle as the first since it operation is in no way dependent on the presence of any particular number of pipes in the bundle or their exact relative arrangement therein.

Since the cycle of operations incident to the delivery of each pipe is initiated by the upward movement of the lifters from the position of Fig. 1 and completed when they return thereto, under normal conditions motor I will be energized at the beginning and deenergized at the end of each cycle by suitable control of the current supplied thereto and it will be appreciated that this control may be effected through the medium of suitable switches (not shown) either manually actuated by an operative stationed at some suitable point or automatically actuated in coordi nated relation with the functioning of other apparatus designed for the performance of a desired operation on the pipes so that the latter will be delivered in properly timed sequence to the conveyor and then transported by it to said apparatus.

Thus by the employment of our invention the hitherto existing necessity for arranging pipes in a single plane on the charging skids after they have been deposited thereon in a bundle comprising several tiers to thereby condition them for subsequent delivery is entirely obviated, since as soon as the bundle as a whole has moved down the charging skids until further progress is blocked by the stops formed by standards IS the pipes are ready to be individually discharged from the bundle at any desired rate. As far as we are aware no other feeding mechanism adapted for practical employment in pipe mills and the like is satisfactorily operative to effect this result.

While we have herein described and illustrated with considerable particularity one embodiment of our invention we do not desire orintend to thereby restrict ourselves specifically thereto as various changes and modifications in the form, construction and arrangement of the instrumentalities comprised therein will readily suggest themselves to those familiar with the art and may be made if desired without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thu described our invention, we claim 6 and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. Apparatus for consecutively delivering elongated cylindrical articles from a bundle thereof comprising horizontally inclined article supporting means, horizontally inclined delivery means extending forwardly therefrom but at a higher level with their rear ends overhanging the supporting means, stops adjacent the forward ends of the supporting means for arresting movement of the articles as they roll down the latter, rearwardly inclined guides depending from proximate the rear ends of the delivery means, laterally spaced lifters reciprocal in paths parallel to the guides, and means :for reciprocating the lifters from a position in which their upper ends are below the level of the supporting means to one in which they are above the level of the rear ends of the delivery means to thereby lift an article to the level thereof from the supporting means.

'2. Apparatus for consecutively delivering elongated cylindrical articles from a bundle thereof comprising horizontally inclined article supporting means, horizontally inclined delivery means extending forwardly therefrom but at a higher level with their rear ends overhanging the supporting means, stops adjacent the forward ends of the supporting means for arresting movement of the articles as they roll down the latter, rearwardly inclined guides depending from proximate the rear ends of the delivery means, laterally spaced lifters reciprocal in paths parallel to the guides, and means for reciprocating the lifters from a position in which their upper ends are below the level of the supporting means to one in which they are above the level of the rear ends of the delivery means, the said ends of the lifters being forwardly and downwardly inclined whereby on their ascending stroke they are effective to move an article from the bundle upwardly along the guides until it reaches a point at which it can roll down the delivery means.

3. Apparatus for consecutively delivering elon gate-d cylindrical articles from a bundle thereof comprising horizontally inclined charging skids adapted to receive and support the bundle, horizontally inclined delivery skids disposed at a higher level than the charging skids extending forwardly from and having their rear ends Dartially overhanging the latter, laterally spaced stops adapted for engagement by the leading article in the lower tier of the bundle as the articles roll down the charging skids, guides extending downwardly and forwardly from the rear ends of the delivery skids to approximately the level of the upper ends of the stops, rearwardly inclined laterally spaced lifters reciprocal in paths parallel to and in rear of the guides from a position in which their upper ends are below the level of the charging skids to one in which they project above the level of the delivery skids, and means for reciprocating the lifters to raise the leading article in said lower tier sufficiently to enable it to roll down the delivery skids.

4. Apparatus for consecutively delivering elongated cylindrical articles from a bundle thereof comprising horizontally inclined charging skids adapted to receive and support the bundle, horizontally inclined delivery skids disposed at a higher level than the charging skids extending forwardly from and having their rear ends partially overhanging the latter, laterally spaced stops adapted for engagement by the leading article in the lower tier of the bundle as the articles roll down the charging skids, guides extending downwardly and forwardly from the rear ends of the delivery skids to approximately the level of the upper ends of the stops, rearwardly inclined laterally spaced lifters reciprocal in paths parallel to and in rear of the guides from a position in which their upper ends are below the level of the charging skids to one in which they project above the level of the delivery skids, and means for reciprocatin the lifters, the upper ends of the lifters being forwardly and downwardiy inclined whereby on their ascending stroke they are effective to carry the leading article in the lower tier upwardly in engagement with the guides to a point at which it can roll forwardly down on the delivery skids.

5. Apparatus of the class described comprising horizontally inclined charging skids adapted to support a heterogeneous bundle of pipe deposited thereon, stops adjacent the forward ends of said skids adapted for engagement by the leading pipe in the lower tier of the bundle as the pipes comprising it roll down the skids, downwardly inclined delivery skids disposed at a higher level than the charging skids, extending forwardly therefrom and having their rear ends overhanging the charging skids, guides extending downwardly and forwardly from the rear ends of the delivery skids to the upper ends of the stops, laterally spaced lifters in rear of the guides reciprocal in paths parallel thereto, the upper ends of the lifters being downwardly and forwardly inclined, and mean for simultaneously recipro cating the lifters from a point at which their said ends are below the level of the charging skids to one in which they are at least partially above the level of the rear ends of the delivery skids, said lifters being adapted on their ascending stroke to lift the leading pipe in the lower tier of the bundle and carry it upwardly in engagement with the guides until it reaches a position at which it can roll down the delivery skids.

6. Apparatus of the class described comprising horizontally inclined charging skids adapted to support a heterogeneous bundle of pipe deposited thereon, stops adjacent the forward ends of said skids adapted for engagement by the leading pipe in the lower tier of the bundle as the pipes comprising it roll down the skids, downwardly inclined delivery skids disposed at a higher level than the charging skids, extending forwardly 8 therefrom and having their rear ends overhanging the charging skids, guides extending downwardly and forwardly from the rear ends of the delivery skids to the upperflends of the stops, laterally spaced lifters in rear of the guides reciprocal in paths parallel thereto, the upper ends of the lifters being downwardly and forwardly inclined, and means for simultaneously reciproeating the lifters from a point at which their said ends are below the level of the charging skids to one'in which they are at least partially above the level of the rear ends of the delivery skids, said lifters being adapted on their ascending stroke to liftthe leading pipe in the lower tier of the bundle and carry it upwardly, in engagement with the guides until it reaches a position at which it can roll down the delivery skids,

the angle of inclination of the guides being suflicient to prevent any pipe superjacent that being lifted directly by the lifters from rolling forwardly onto the delivery skids.

'7. Apparatus of the class described comprising horizontally inclined charging skids adapted to support a heterogeneous bundle of pipe deposited thereon, stops adjacent the forward ends of said skids adapted for engagement by the leading pipe in the lower tier of the bundle as the pipes comprising it roll down the skids, downwardly inclined delivery skids disposed at a higher level than the charging skids, extending forwardly therefrom and having their rear ends overhanging the charging skids, guides extending downwardly and forwardly from the rear ends of the delivery skids to the upper ends of the stops, laterally spaced lifters in rear of the guides reciprocal in paths parallel thereto, the upper ends of the lifter being downwardly and forwardly inclined, and means for simultaneously reciproeating the lifters from a point at which their said ends are below the level of the charging skids to one in which they are at least partially above the level of the rear ends of the delivery skids,

said lifters being adapted on their ascending stroke to lift the leading pipe in the lower tier of the bundle and carry it upwardly in engagement with theguides until it reaches a position at which it can roll down the delivery skids, the angle of inclination of the rear faces of the guides being at least to the vertical.

,MARTIN S. GETTIG. V

HAROLD E. ENGELBAUGH; 

